


Unconventional Comfort

by ToTheStarsWriting



Series: Unconventional Comfort [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Collars, Comfort, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gentle Dom magnus, Hurt Alec, M/M, No Smut, Non-Sexual Submission, Oral Fixation, Protective Magnus, Sort Of, Sub Alec, does that cover it all?, i hope it does, non-sexual D/s, scared Alec, scared young warlock, young magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:27:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24675340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: After Alec gets hit with a young warlock's raw, terrified magic, it's up to his boyfriend to help him stay calm until the side effects wear off.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Unconventional Comfort [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022872
Comments: 20
Kudos: 459





	Unconventional Comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MonPetitTresor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/gifts).



> So this is a gift to a friend, which means some elements of this they requested. I hope it fits what you wanted, love!
> 
> As the tags suggest, this has non-sexual kink and d/s dynamics. Alec may also seem a bit OOC in how he's showing his fear, but that's because the magic he's hit with is YOUNG and strong.
> 
> Let me know what you think - and thank you!

The pinging of his wards alerted Magnus long before he heard the sound of the front door crashing open. He was already shoving himself up out of bed by the time the group of shadowhunters came tearing into his home. He reached the living room at the same time they did. What he saw in their arms was every nightmare he’d ever had since Alec and he had started dating.

His lover was being carried by Isabelle, Jace, and even Clary. His body was curled into a ball as tight as he could possibly get, which was clearly making it awkward for the others to move him.

“What happened?” Magnus demanded, eyes scanning over Alec while they set him on the couch, magic already tingling under his skin in a desperate need to seek out whatever was wrong and _fix it._

The minute there was space, Magnus darted around Clary and then Isabelle, getting right into the middle of them so that he could sink down at Alec's side. With a snap, he called up the magic that was aching to be free. Magnus was about to reach out to Alec with it only for Alec to move first. Before he could blink, he suddenly found himself sitting there with his arms full of cold, slightly damp, _terrified_ boy.

“We don’t know what happened,” Isabelle said, a definite ache in her voice that made it clear just how much she was beating herself up over that. She’d stepped back once Magnus sat down. Arms crossed over her chest, Isabelle was looking down at Alec with worry. The same worry that was on Clary’s face as she, too, stood back and watched. “He’s not hurt. We checked him over, and Jace used an iratze. But he’s just… been curled up like that ever since we found him. We don’t know what happened.”

Jace was the only one to stay close. He was half perched on the armrest of the couch like he couldn’t quite bring himself to move away from his parabatai.

Their words did nothing to ease the worry building in Magnus’ chest. He held back on his magic – for now. Though just barely. The only thing that allowed him that restraint was the knowledge that, if there were no visible injuries, it likely meant the cause of this was magical. And fixing something magical required caution, care, and knowledge of what he was going up against.

Knowing that did nothing to ease Magnus’ fear. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

He knew his voice was just a little sharper than it probably should’ve been. But Alec was still holding himself so small, and he was _trembling_ in a way that had Magnus wanting nothing more than to bundle him up far away from everyone until he felt better.

Alec gave a pained little whimper and pressed himself in even closer. His head shifted just enough that his forehead thumped over Magnus’ neck. The pressure didn’t jostle Magnus. Though it _did_ send his worry even higher. That was a gesture he was familiar with, usually when Alec was still panicking after one of his worse nightmares, and he was trying everything he could to plaster himself as close to Magnus as possible.

The sound drew everyone’s attention even more than before. Magnus let go of the magic in his hand and tightened his arms around his lover in the hopes the pressure would help.

“We were out on patrol tonight when we got an alert about some suspicious demon activity,” Jace said, watching closely as Magnus rubbed his hand over Alec's back. He, like the rest of them, knew that Alec would absolutely hate to be seen like this if he was in his right state of mind. “Alec wanted to call you in just in case, but we decided to check it out first. Only, the building was empty when we got there.”

Another whimper from Alec cut off Jace’s words. Everyone watched as Magnus smoothed his hand up Alec's back and into his hair, scratching a little at his scalp. He was starting to get an idea at what might be happening here, and if he was right… it took away the sharper edge of Magnus’ worry.

Isabelle easily picked up the story when it was clear Jace wasn’t going to continue. “We split up to take a look around. I got through a few rooms when I… I heard Alec scream.”

“All of us did,” Clary chimed in, wincing a little. She had a hand on Isabelle’s arm in an attempt to offer comfort. It was clear they were all unsettled by this part. Not that Magnus could blame them. The thought of Alec alone somewhere, _screaming_ , had his magic aching to lash out.

“When we got in there, Alec was the only one in there,” Jace said quietly. “We found him curled up in the corner, shaking. He’s…” Grimacing, Jace lifted a hand and pressed it over his their rune like he couldn’t quite help himself. “It feels like, like a really bad panic attack. Or like he’s having some sort of nightmare. Only, not?”

There was only one thing Magnus could think of that might cause something like this in the situation they described. Unfortunately, it was also something that wasn’t going to be easily fixed. As much as Magnus hated it, if he was right, Alec was going to have to ride this one out.

Checking was easy now that Magnus knew what he was looking for. He put up safeguards so his magic wouldn’t trigger any other magic, and he gave Alec's body a quick scan, the blue light crackling against his lover’s skin. What he found had him slumping.

“What is it?” Jace demanded, eyes sharp on Magnus’ face.

Magnus looked down at his boyfriend, who was still quivering against him in tiny little shivers that ran from head to toe. Alec had tilted his head up a bit more so that his nose was brushing over Magnus’ neck, and his lips were questing, almost frantic, as they moved over his skin. Magnus used the hand he had in Alec's hair to turn his head in a little more, helping Alec to find the angle he was so clearly looking for.

Magnus didn’t make a sound as Alec's mouth locked down on a patch of skin where Magnus’ neck met his shoulder. He just scratched at Alec's hair while his boyfriend gave a self-soothing suck. Most of Magnus’ focus was on trying to figure out what to say to the ones watching him.

None of them were going to like this for multiple different reasons. But now that Magnus knew what was going on, knew what was likely causing Alec's distress, he wanted to set about soothing it as best as he could. To do that, he needed to deal with the trio watching them.

Simple explanations would probably go over best. Or, at least, he _hoped_.

“Best as I can tell, Alexander most likely found a warlock in the room where you found him.” Magnus’ kept his voice calm and steady. Not just for the sake of the others, who he hoped would manage to keep themselves calm, but because he knew Alec would respond better to it. “Judging by the magic I feel on him, it was a young one. They were likely scared when he came in. Many of our young ones are taught to be cautious of shadowhunters. If they saw him coming in dressed to take out demons, it’s possible they got scared, and their magic sought to defend them, taking that fear and projecting it onto Alexander.”

Three sets of eyes drifted from Magnus down to Alec. From their angle, none of them could see the way that Alec was still worrying at Magnus’ skin, likely leaving one hell of a hickey.

“So he’s… scared?” Clary asked curiously.

Magnus nodded at her. “In a basic sense, yes. The magic on him his young and terrified, and until it burns out, Alec's going to feel that fear himself without any way of controlling it.”

“Can’t you fix it?” Jace demanded.

His sharp tone had Alec pressing in closer, a hint of teeth accidentally nipping at Magnus’ skin in his fear, and Magnus shot Jace a sharp warning look and scratched a little harder at Alec's head to calm him. “No, I can’t.” This time, though still steady, Magnus made his words firm. “As I said, the magic is young and likely driven solely by the child’s fear without any real intent behind it. Trying to remove it could end up doing more damage than good. The best course of action is to let it burn itself out, and to try and keep Alexander calm while it does.”

How Alec was behaving had already given Magnus quite a few different ideas on how to help calm him. Not all of them were public friendly. But at the moment, Alec was too deep in his head, too caught up in fear, for the more appropriate methods to really work. Magnus needed to get him calm. The best ways to do that were all ones that he knew Alec would hate to have anyone else see. They were from a part of their life that Magnus doubted the others even had a clue about.

That meant that Magnus was either going to have to find a different way to calm his boy down, or he was going to have to get their guests out of here.

A heavy shudder told Magnus that he was going to have to do it quickly, too.

In the end, Magnus made his choice easily. If it was between taking care of Alec or letting him suffer, the decision was always going to be simple. Magnus would handle the fury of the others later.

Calmly, gently, he pressed Alec's head closer to his neck, and with his other hand, he tightened his grip over Alec's hip to keep him in place. As Magnus looked back up at the others, he felt Alec relax ever-so-slightly into those firmer touches. It only reaffirmed what Magnus knew needed to be done and made it that much easier to speak. “Why don’t you guys go back to the Institute, take care of tonight’s paperwork, or whatever it is you shadowhunters do after a patrol? I’ll take care of Alexander.”

“I’m not leaving him!” Jace protested immediately.

“There’s nothing you’re going to be able to do here.”

Isabelle reached out and caught hold of Jace’s arm. She used that hold to tug him just enough that he turned to look at her. The two shared a brief conversation with their eyes. One that ended with Isabelle’s lips quirking up a little at one side in a soft, sad look. “You know he wouldn’t want us to see him like this.”

Magnus didn’t really care to listen to whatever debate they had about this. He knew how it was going to go in the end, whether they liked it or not. Alec was what was important here, and Magnus had no issue pissing people off if it meant doing what was best for Alec. He deserved someone who would care for him no matter what. Someone who would put him _first._ Magnus had made that silent promise when he’d first started dating the boy, and again when they’d taken things a little further and shifted into a dynamic that suited them both.

Right now, it was clear that dynamic was where Alec had slipped down to. He’d clearly held himself together long enough for his siblings to get him _here_. Then, once in the safety of Magnus’ arms, Alec's fear had pressed him to reach out for the person who was usually around to soothe him now in those moments where he was afraid. After nightmares, after the occasional panic attack, when subdrop was threatening him, or even just at the end of a long and exhausting day. Magnus always took care of him.

Now wasn’t going to be any different.

“Whether you all agree with it or not,” Magnus said suddenly, deliberately cutting into the argument still going on above his head. He didn’t look up from Alec, didn’t stop the careful pressure on his boy’s hip or the scratching against his hair. “This is still my home, and my boyfriend. Who has very clearly made it known where he wishes to be right now. It’s late, there’s nothing any of you can do, and I’d like very much to get him into bed. So, you can either leave on your own, or I can assist you with it. The choice is yours.”

If it hadn’t been for Isabelle cutting in with a soft “Jace,” things might’ve gone a bit differently.

“You better watch out for him,” Jace finally said. “And call us if anything changes.”

Magnus nodded at him. “Of course.”

They left with threats to be there in the morning to check on him. Magnus didn’t say anything against it, though he knew if Alexander was still feeling like this come morning – _magic_ , he hoped not! – he wasn’t going to let anyone in here to see him. Bad enough that they’d already seen this much. Alec was going to be mortified when his head cleared.

That was a problem for the future, though. There was plenty enough to deal with at the moment without borrowing trouble.

The first order of business was to get Alec into a safe space. Not just in Magnus’ loft, or in his arms, but in the space that Magnus had made sure to always make safe and _theirs_.

“All right, darling boy,” Magnus murmured, tilting to brush a kiss against Alec's hair. “Let’s go get you settled, hm?”

With a little bit of skill, magic, and strength, Magnus got Alec shifted around enough to finally be able to slide both arms under him and rise up from the couch. It wasn’t the first time he’d carried Alec, nor would it be the last. They’d gotten a lot better about it since that first time that Magnus had swept him up by surprise, and Alec had blushed deeply and demanded Magnus put him down.

Now, Alec leaned in closer, his hands tightening in Magnus’ shirt while he whimpered against Magnus’ skin. The sucking shifted into a worried chew that, thankfully, moved a little from the previous spot.

Magnus didn’t try to shush him. Instead, he hummed soothingly, an easy tune he knew Alec favored when he was stressed or upset. He carried his boyfriend through the loft and back to the bedroom.

Once they got into the bedroom things got a little more difficult. Alec absolutely did not want to let go, even just to be set on the bed, and Magnus needed to get in to take his gear off him. Normally, he’d just use magic to remove it, but using magic on Alec while he still had young magic like this in his body was only asking for trouble. There was no telling what it would do.

That meant they were going to have to do things by hand tonight.

“That’s all right, isn’t it?” Magnus said as he sat down on the bed with Alec still held in his arms. He scooted back just enough that he could curl one leg up a little, making a spot between them for Alec to sit in. Then he drew his free arm out from under Alec's legs so he could reach up and brush a bit of hair back from his face. “I don’t mind doing it like this. And you always do like the more hands-on approach.”

He did, too. Alec always relaxed a little more when Magnus took the time to do things by hand instead of just magicking it all the way he wanted. Being with Alec had reminded Magnus about the joy of doing something because it felt good, or it made them happy, instead of just taking the most expedient route to get to what they wanted.

Now, Magnus just had to find something to help keep Alec calm as he undressed him, and he knew one reliable way to do it.

He carefully drew his hand up from behind Alec, sliding it over his arm, his shoulder, his neck, and up toward his mouth. There, he touched two fingers against Alec's lips. All it took was a small bit of pressure for Alec to open his mouth and break his hold on Magnus’ skin. As soon as he did, Magnus pushed his fingers in. “There you are, darling,” he murmured, watching as Alex began to suck even before his brain could catch up.

He was shaking, clearly still caught up in the fear, but his body responded easily to the familiar touch. Alec had an oral fixation that never came out stronger than when they were in bed together, or when he was upset. Though Magnus had a feeling that the comfort aspect of it that they were discovering was an accidental side-effect of having found out how much Alec liked this in bed. Magnus had tried it once on a whim to get Alec to settle in the early days of their sexual relationship, and it’d worked so well Magnus had made a note of it and used it often after that.

Now, whenever Alec was upset or stressed, he had a tendency to put something in his mouth. Sometimes he’d chew his thumb or the end of a pen. Sometimes it was stronger, and he’d come home and practically attack Magnus until he could get on his knees. Nothing worked to calm Alec more than kneeling with his head pressed between Magnus’ thighs and his cock in his mouth.

That wasn’t what he needed right now, though. Not while he was scared. And definitely not while he wasn’t entirely in control of himself. Magnus was going to have to find a way to give Alec what he needed without letting it cross that line.

Magnus smiled as he watched Alec sink against him, head turning enough to better be able to draw Magnus’ fingers in. “There's my sweet boy.” The words were gentle and so full of love. Alec didn't need any stress when like this. He needed softness. He needed to feel someone loving him and taking care of him. “I have you, Alexander. I'm here. You just let me take care of you, hm?”

While Alec sucked on the first two fingers of one hand, Magnus used his other to start to unhook all the belts and straps and things of the like from Alec's body. Thankfully his bow and quiver had already been removed when they brought him in. Magnus made a mental note later to ask where they were. For now, he unhooked Alec's thigh holster and set it off to the side, followed up with his belt, his seraph blade, and his stele.

Magnus dared to risk a little magic in untying Alec's boots. From there, it took a little work, and a little prodding, but he got Alec to help him out in kicking them off. The fact that he could respond enough to do that was a good sign.

Eventually, they got Alec stripped down to a t-shirt and boxers. Then Magnus was free to carefully draw the both of them up toward the head of the bed. His own shoes were kicked off and discarded, and Alec's weapons were magicked away to their designated spots.

They ended up with Magnus reclining back against a mountain of pillows, and Alec tucked up against his chest. Alec's lower half was curled up, though not as tight as before. Just to keep him close, Magnus lifted his leg on that side and draped it over Alec's curled up ones. It let him wrap his lover up and put pressure on him from multiple angles. Alec had whispered once that he loved it when Magnus made him feel small and safe. Pressing in around him like this was an excellent way to do it.

There was no telling how long it would take for the magic to burn its way out of Alec's system. That depended on the strength of the kid who’d done it as well as the strength of their fear when they had. It could be an hour, a couple hours, or even a day or two. But no matter how long it took, Magnus was going to make damn sure his boy was taken care of.

“Alexander, can you look up at me, darling?” Magnus asked him. He needed to see how well he could get Alec to respond, and if he might even be able to get him to speak.

It only took a moment for wide, hazel eyes to lift up to meet Magnus’. In them was fear, a look Magnus so hated to see, and an embarrassment that only furthered Magnus’ need to soothe.

He used two of the fingers that weren’t in Alec's mouth to stroke over his cheek. “Ohh, my sweet little love, there’s no need to be embarrassed. It’s just me here with you. You know I don’t mind taking care of you.” Alec made a disagreeing sound at that. One that Magnus quickly cut off by pressing his fingers against Alec's tongue. “Don’t argue with me. I love taking care of you, no matter what the reason. It doesn’t make you weak to accept my help.”

Magnus almost pointed out that it wasn’t even Alec's fault he was feeling like this, but he didn’t want Alec to take that to mean that it was only okay to accept help because it was a problem caused by someone else. Magnus had been doing his best to try and teach this sweet, prickly boy that it was okay to accept help _anytime_ – that that’s what Magnus was there for – to help him, support him, be strong in those moments that Alec felt like he couldn’t. Magnus wanted Alec to know that it was his _privilege_ to take care of him. As his boyfriend, and as his Dom.

When Alec didn’t try to protest again, Magnus let up on his tongue and went back to stroking his thumb over Alec's jaw.

He was surprised when Alec pressed up into his hand and made a low, whining sound. For a second, he thought Alec was trying to take advantage of Magnus’ lighter grip to protest what he’d said. Instead, his darling boy continued to prove to him how utterly amazing and _brave_ he was.

Alec drew away from Magnus’ fingers with a tap to his wrist, a silent signal that he needed to breathe or speak, and when Magnus pulled his hand back, Alec stared down at it instead of Magnus’ eyes as he whispered, “Can I… can I have my, my collar?”

The words were shaky, a little broken and cracked in that way only fear does, and yet they were still so brave. Even when he was coming apart at the seams, Alec had managed to speak up and ask for what he wanted – what he _needed_. He’d trusted Magnus to not twist his words and use them against him the way so many others had.

“ _Of course_ you can.” Magnus suited action to words, summoning the collar to his hand with a spark of magic.

Alec let Magnus move his other hand away from his mouth long enough to take the collar and curl it around Alec's neck. Just the act of putting it on and belting it into place was enough to have Alec's body shuddering and sinking a little further into the bed.

Magnus smiled at him as he drew his hands away from the collar and gathered Alec up once more. “There we are. Is that better, _sayang_? Hm? Is that what you wanted?”

The sound Alec made was somewhere between a whine and a whimper. His eyes were a bit hazy in that way that made it clear he hadn’t quite slipped down to subspace, but he was close. Likely would be there if the fear-magic would let up even the slightest bit.

Magnus was going to have to watch Alec carefully even after this magic let him go. Even before Magnus had put the collar on him, Alec had gotten close to that ledge, and he was even closer now. But fear wasn’t supposed to be a part of subspace. If Magnus didn’t toe the line very carefully – hell, even if he _did_ – there was a strong chance that Alec could experience one hell of a subdrop after all this was said and done.

That was something Magnus was going to have to be ready for. He’d make plans once he had Alec calm enough to sleep. Make sure that everything was arranged ahead of time so there would be nothing and no one that Magnus needed to focus on beyond the sweet, darling boy pressed against him so trustingly.

Magnus slipped his thumb into Alec's mouth, fingers curling along his jaw, and watched him settle a little more. At the same time, he tightened the leg he had over Alec's and used his other arm to press their bodies more firmly together. In every way he could, he wrapped himself around Alec.

“I’ve gone you,” Magnus murmured. A reassurance and a promise both. “I have you now, my sweet, darling boy. I’ll take care of you.”

And he always would. Now, today, and every day in their future. Magnus would do his best to always take care of Alec. To make sure that the trust his boyfriend put in him was something Alec never felt the need to doubt.

So long as he was around, he would make sure that Alec always knew he was loved. Even if their methods weren’t considered conventional.


End file.
